cornish-stormrider

The phrase "Gutless gob****e waste of breathing air and food" springs to mind when referencing Mr Tombstone. If one can't put up, one should shut up.

Maybe his sign in handle should be changed to gutless welching b4st4rd who is too afraid of his boss to carry out his promise.

I wait with baited breath for his reply and will issue a profuse and humble retraction when the deed is posted for posteriority

MostlyHarmless

Don't you just hate it when people sit on the fence...

brickhistory

Question from afar:

If Tombstone 'performed,' would/could somebody at the base complain and he get into trouble for it? I can imagine a similiar act's consequence if performed here and a no-sense of humo(u)r-type filing a complaint............


If so, might a few days grace period allow for the probably increased viewing audience to lessen and reduce his career risk?


Total speculation, but a thought?

forget

I'm with brick on this. It ain't the Air Force it once was and Tombstone's probably best advised to renege. When's he coming out .................. of the RAF?

Flying Signman

Just a few "edited" errr....."rear shots" would suffice - just to show he actually did it! You know - 15 seconds should be more than enough.


That way - with no front/facial shots the real identity could be a safely guarded secret.


Unless of course the CO, demands a strip search to see who has that nasty rash!!!

brickhistory

Not my place to voice an opinion, but I'm not encouraging him to renege, just choose the best time for the op with regards to threat assessement planning.......

k3k3

At 2200 BST tonight there is a programme on the History Channel (Sky 529) about the return of 558 to the skies.

LS8-18

For someone who shouted the odds about how XH558 would never fly again he is very quiet all of a sudden.

If the deed is not done yet I hope he has sent a massive cheque to TVOC with a profuse appology engraved on the back

Pontius Navigator

There was a spate of nude calendars in UK a few years ago, still vogue amongst farmers. Any way one such was done by our aeronautical docs people. Their OC went ballistic and a recall order was put out. I still have my copy.

Anyway 23 Sqn did an issue too with OC23 in just a pair or flying boots. The fun police then stepped in and said "Last Time."

Anyway the senior officer posters had the last laugh. Promoted the OV and made him head of PR as he obviously had a flair for it, or was in a bent?

BEagle

The scope dope lying on top of the E-3D consoles looked quite a babe!

I mentioned it to my old ex-F4 course nav - he'd been a Plt Off at that time. But later the very OC23 in question. Super chum!

Tombstone has yet to reply to my PM, incidentally.

Flying Signman

Not a word from Tombstone then?

I thought he was good for his word, but are beginning to think otherwise.......

Tombstone, please do not let a lot of us down

BEagle

Tombstone, being a chap who keeps his promises, has given me an update.

Firstly, he has been off the forum recently as he was on compassionate leave. I'm sure everyone will wish him well.

Now, you will all be interested to learn that the deed has been done and I will have the DVD in a few days' time.

However, a tip-off to Tombstone revealed that the RAF fun-detectors were not very happy about the idea of a 'public' performance, so quite understandably the DVD was shot not in a crewroom, but next to a jet.

The DVD will NOT be going to yoof-tube, that rather nasty happy slappers' website, but if the identity of the star can be suitably protected, it might be offered to the Primetime Video team, for inclusion on the next Vulcan Restoration DVD.

Which will mean that you will have to pay to see it - each DVD includes a contribution to the Vulcan To The Sky trust.

Pontius Navigator

Hypocrits.

As soon as the Armadillo video was out, bare bums and all, the media types wanted an RAF one.

Then the Royals do one with more bare bums!

phoenix leader

I'm rather curious that after watching the various video's of Vulcan 558 such as on Utube etc she seems to have had a modification of sorts just forward of the intakes, which to me look like a square window, which is on both sides of the aircraft, could some one shed any light on this (no pun intended).

The Helpful Stacker

Are you sure its not the new squarish shaped aerials you spotted?

flipflopman RB199

I can confirm that there have been no "Window shaped Mods" on XH558's forward fuselage.

With respect, are you sure that it's not something that has been there all along, that has only recently become apparent to you?


Flipflopman

Blacksheep

I recall seeing a calendar picturing a rather tasty looking young lady in a WRAF Officer's uniform, astride a bicycle and displaying a rather nice pair of charms in the fresh air. I don't know if she was truly a serving ossifer, but the photograph was definitely taken outside our old crew room at Northolt.

I'm pleased to see that Tombstone has had the last laugh to the financial advantage of the VTTS Trust. I have a copy of the video showing the end of 558's RAF career and I'd be pleased to pay for a video of what is hopefully the start of a new one.

Pray that she is able to remain on view in UK, rather than joining the last Shackleton on the other side of the Atlantic, where there's enough money to keep such large, complex old bangers airborne.

clicker

Beagle, Thanks for the update.

Tombstone, Well done for having the guts to do it.

Can't say I would be so brave and I hope the cold didn't have any effects on the exposed equipment.

phoenix leader

Hi, what ever the window, ariel or panel of sorts that I asked about, has come about because my friend and colleague an ex Vulcan pilot, whom in fact has flown 558 phoned me up because he too was of the opinion that the panel in question has been added, it was myself that suggested that I place it on PPrune to see what if any light could be shed on this matter. If you look at the film on Utube of 558 taxiing you will see why the panel just forward of the intake and aft of the roundel does indeed look very much like a "widow" of sorts.

GeeRam

Money isn't the reason the Shack is in the USA, as any time it does fly the money to do it comes from the UK, as it's still owned by Air Atlantique IIRC, and a team from Coventry does go out periodically to tend to her over there. The reason it's over there is that it can fly there, as it can't fly in the UK 'cos BAe have told CAA that it's fatigue-ex'd, so CAA say non....
In the USA however, under the experimental category, the FAA have a different view I believe.